


So It's a Little Cliché

by justabensonfanatic



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Comforting Liv, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Mistletoe, One Shot Collection, Scared Noah, Sexual Tension, Silly Barba, That Classic Barson Back and Forth, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Wait... Is She Undercover?, holiday fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27752887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justabensonfanatic/pseuds/justabensonfanatic
Summary: Just a series of Barson one-shot tropes and clichés that pop into my head every now and then and refuse to leave. Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it!Most recent: For their latest date night, Olivia and Rafael try out an escape room!
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 38
Kudos: 118





	1. What are you doing here?

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Barba runs into Olivia at a restaurant... While she's undercover  
> 2\. The roller-coaster Barba and Noah are on breaks down. Olivia is there for them in the aftermath  
> 3\. Olivia and Rafael find themselves stranded on the highway when their tire blows out  
> 4\. Mistletoe mishaps  
> 5\. Barba comes out of sedation and needs someone to take him home. On the way, he reveals a secret to Liv  
> 6\. Mistletoe mishaps continued... on the roof  
> 7\. Noah has a question for his mommy  
> 8\. Escape room date shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barba happens to run into Olivia at a restaurant... while she's undercover. Very light fluff ensues

The door to the restaurant opens with a bright jingle alerting the hostess to his presence as Barba steps through with his head down, scrolling through his emails.

“Welcome, what can I—?”

His head pops up from his phone, “I had an order to-go? Under the name Barba? I called it in about thirty minutes ago?”

The hostess nods, “Ah yes, I’ll go check on that for you.”

“No problem,” Barba says, glancing back down at his phone before becoming distracted by the fish tank tucked in the corner of the waiting area. Before he can stop himself, he wanders over to get a better look. He isn’t in a rush after all, and none of these emails could be that important. After amusing himself with the fish for a moment, he turns to stare out at the rest of the place. He hasn’t tried this restaurant before, but it had good reviews and Carmen had recommended it to him. _Although_ , he thinks to himself now that he’s looking closer, _she probably had more in mind than just take-out for one._

The restaurant is small and cozy, with an atmosphere that screamed intimacy. The lighting is almost but not quite dim and the majority of tables are set for two with the small dancing light of real candles illuminating the table. And the people here… Definitely couples. Except for—Wait. Is that…?

“Olivia?” Barba asks incredulously.

At the sound of her name, Olivia does a double-take, turning in her seat until—

“Barba?!”

He walks over towards her, “Hey, Liv, I almost didn’t see you there! A pleasant surprise, I didn’t think I’d be seeing you until tomorrow.”

Olivia’s eyes are still wide as Barba talks; she is almost uncharacteristically caught off guard. He’s a little flustered too, come to think of it. Not that it had anything to do with the dress she was wearing of course. He just hasn’t seen Olivia quite so… fancy? No that’s not the word… Elegant. He just hasn’t seen Olivia quite so elegant before. Yes. Tonight, she is elegant.

“Oh, um, yes definitely a surprise, um...” She shakes her head a little, “Sorry, what are you doing here?”

At that, Barba’s eyebrows raise. Her voice has gone unusually shrill for her and her eyes are still a little too wide. Is she nervous?

“Nothing…?” Barba says cautiously, “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Her eyes dart towards a table to his right where he sees Rollins and Fin, holding hands and clearly avoiding his gaze. Oh shit.

Olivia can almost see the lightbulb go off in his head.

Undercover. She’s undercover.

“Ah, yes, okay, I’ll just…” Barba says, beginning to back away just as a jingle sounds out from the front door. Olivia covertly but frantically waves her hand towards herself, gesturing for him to come over.

“Just—! Get over here!”

He nods quickly and strides over, slipping into the small booth across from her.

“Who—?”

“Don’t!” She cuts him off, unexpectantly reaching forward to grab his hand. Surprisingly— _or not so surprisingly_ , he thinks—it’s not her tone of voice but this that causes his heart to jump.

“Okay.”

“Just—Damnit Barba, don’t look so uncomfortable, work with me here!” she snaps while managing to smile and look like she’d said something not nearly so harsh.

“Sorry.” He, on the other hand, manages not to faint as her hand reaches forward to grip his forearm as she lets out an impressively normal laugh.

“You’ve just said something devastatingly funny,” she says.

“But of course. I’m nothing if not devastatingly funny,” Barba quips.

This time Olivia speaks with a real smile, “Of course.” She tips her head to the side and Barba follows her eyes towards the man who’d apparently just walked in. “We’ve been trying to tail this guy for a week,” Olivia whispers. “Apparently he comes here everything Thursday without fail.”

“I see.”

There’s an awkward pause. Barba tries not to stare before remembering that if they’re supposedly a couple right now, he’d be allowed.

“Why were you here?” she finally asks, “Hot date?”

Barba gives her a crooked grin, “Nope. Take out.”

“Ah.”

“That’s funny though, for a second I thought YOU were here on a hot date, Benson. Guess I was wrong.”

“Yeah, not much of those to go around,” she complains, her eyes following the man as a hostess leads him towards them.

“Well now I’m offended,” Barba jokes, “Surely I’m not too terrible.”

“Oh but you are,” she teases, smirking before she leans forward slowly. Barba freezes, just watching her move questioningly. His adam’s apple bobs as her hair swings forward and her cheek presses against his. A delicious shiver runs down his spine as her breath tickled his ear. He tries not to breathe the smell of her in. Too much of a good thing, they say, and too much of Olivia… well that would surely kill him. Her voice is husky as she whispers, “He’s right next to us.”

When she finally pulls away, Barba lets out a small puff of air he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He’s sure his cheeks are red. This, he realizes, would be a lot harder than he thought it would.

* * *

“I’m sorry about this,” Olivia says two hours later as they watch Fin and Rollins leave arm in arm after the man they’d unsuccessfully tried to talk to, “I hope you didn’t have anything pressing tonight.”

“I didn’t,” he reassures her, “and if I did… Well, I can’t say I had a terrible time.”

“Me either,” Olivia smiles, “Even if it didn’t end up being the most productive two hours of police-work.”

“Were you really going to just sit there alone for two hours?” Barba asks.

“At first we were going to see if I could get him talking, maybe get him to join me but we saw how chatty he was.”

Barba’s face darkens, “Mhmm.”

Olivia laughs at his expression, “I honestly thought you were going to punch him when he told me to shut up! But then I remembered that you’re Barba.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” he protested, “I did think about it.”

“Sure you did.”

“I did!”

Olivia laughs again before smiling fondly at him. “Either way, I’m glad you didn’t,” she says seriously.

“My knuckles are too,” he jokes. After a pause, he looks her in the eye. “Why’d you pull me into this? I mean you really didn’t have to.” When she doesn’t immediately respond, he deflects, “Was it my good looks Detective? It must’ve been. Be honest now.”

She shakes her head, rolling her eyes at him before speaking, “Honestly? I panicked,” she says simply. “I saw him come in, he’d seen you talking to me…”

“I’m glad you panicked,” he says softly, impulsively reaching out to hold her hand.

She looks down at their entwined hands and smiles, “Me too, Rafael. Me too.”


	2. Are you scared of heights, Uncle Rafa?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael can't say no to Noah no matter how badly he's afraid of heights. Besides, it'll just be a minute right?  
> When the roller-coaster they're on breaks down, Rafael and Noah have to be brave. Olivia is there for them in the aftermath,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I was not expecting such wonderful feedback, thank you guys so much!  
> In a shocking turn of events, in less than one week, I'm actually back with some cute Rafael/Noah/Olivia content! I've never written Noah before so please, let me know what you think!

"Uncle Rafa?"

Noah's voice shook a little as he tugged on Barba's sleeve. Rafael swallowed heavily, trying to keep his face as calm as possible.

"Yes, Noah?"

"Why did it stop?"

What the hell was he supposed to say to that?!

"I don't know mijo," he said as he peered over past the boy's unusually pale face. Bad idea, bad idea! He couldn't help it as he squeezed his eyes shut.

They. Were. So. High. Up.

"Do you think mommy knows?"

Rafael let out a nervous laugh, "Oh I'm sure she does." If Liv wasn't staring up at the frozen roller-coaster pacing as she bit her lip, then he wasn't freaking out right now. But he was. So she was.

But Noah couldn't know that. "You know what?" Barba asked as brightly as he could, "I bet you she's talking to the people who operate these roller coasters right now."

If the coaster stayed immobile for much longer, he didn't doubt she would.

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right!" Noah said, his faith in his surrogate uncle as strong as ever. His worries appeased, Noah began to swing his legs as he peered over the bar across his lap. While he took in the view, Barba focused on not having a heart attack.

"Look, Uncle Rafa, look! You can almost see the parking lot from here!"

"Uh huh."

Noah looked at his uncle funny. Was it just him or was Uncle Rafa's voice higher? And why was he saying uh huh? "You aren't looking, silly!" Noah giggled.

Barba tried not to yelp as Noah leaned farther out to look at the ground, "Hey wait, please be careful Noah!"

Now he was really confused. "Are you scared of heights, Uncle Rafa?"

Before he could answer, there was a crackle over the P.A. system.

"We're sorry for the delay folks but everything looks to be alright so we'll be starting up Big Red momentarily."

Noah gasped with excitement, "It's working again, they said it's working! We're going to—!"

The rest of his words were drowned out in the rumble of the roller coaster before they turned into a delighted scream as the coaster finally tipped over its peak. 

* * *

"Mommy, mommy! It was so much FUN!" Noah screeched as he sprinted away from a windswept and slightly green Barba towards his mother. While Rafael's was green, Olivia's face was white as she crouched and Noah jumped into her arms before launching into a play-by-play of every loop, turn, and fall of that damn roller-coaster ride. Olivia nodded along as she listened but couldn't help her eyes from flicking over to Barba who had collapsed on the closest bench.

As Noah gasped for breath between sentences, Olivia gently interrupted him, "Hey, I'm loving this story and I can't wait to hear the rest of it, but I think I need to check in on Uncle Rafa okay?"

"Okay! Can I get ice cream?"

"In a bit okay?" she promised as she stood up from her crouch and walked over towards Barba, Noah close behind.

When her shadow fell across his feet, Barba looked up from the ground. He was no longer green but was still pale as he stared her down. As she opened her mouth to ask if he was okay, he shot up and engulfed her in a crushing hug.

"Woah, hey, hey, Rafael you're alright!" she exclaimed, a little shocked, "You're okay!"

He simply sucked in a deep breath continuing to hold her. After a moment, his arms relaxed. Olivia cautiously rubbed her hand up and down his back.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly so Noah couldn't hear.

He tilted his head towards her ear; his breath made her hair flutter a bit. She swallowed heavily.

His voice was high and breathy. "'Please Rafael, it'll just be a few minutes!'"

She gasped and pushed him away. He was grinning like a fiend.

"Hey! How would I have—I never thought—!"

"'But Rafael, he's been talking about this for weeks!'"

She stuck her finger out at him and poked him hard in the chest, "He had, Rafael Barba, you know he had!" As he began to chuckle, she scowled, "Don't you put this one all on me, mister, you could've said no!"

He was genuinely laughing now, "Could I have though? Back me up mijo, I could never say no to you, right?"

Noah, who'd been watching the grown-up's exchange with curiosity, immediately perked up at the sound of his special nickname (only Uncle Rafa called him mijo which, of course, made it a very special nickname). "Nope!" he said happily.

"Don't you turn my son on me, Barba," Olivia said, still attempting to look angry but failing miserably. Her lips were twitching as she watched Noah sidle up next to Rafael and stick his tongue out at her.

"Oh ho ho Mr. Benson," Rafael said, having caught Noah's sass, "I wouldn't do that if I were you! I thought someone wanted ice cream. Other than me," he added, winking at Olivia.

Noah whacked his hand over his mouth, his eyes growing comically wide. "I'll be good!"

"That's better," Olivia said, messing Noah's curls up fondly. "Now let's go get that ice cream okay?"

"Yesss!"

As Noah skipped off, Barba called out to him, "Hey, not too far ahead, okay mijo?"

"Okay!"

As the two adults followed Noah, Olivia elbowed Rafael in the ribs. "What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?" Rafael said, feigning ignorance as he grinned at her.

She shot him a look.

"Ohhh right! You see, that was me realizing that I just went on a ROLLER-COASTER for you and your son. A ROLLER-COASTER Liv!"

She stopped walking. "What are you saying?" Her voice had gone deadly quiet.

"What I'm saying is if I can do that," their eyes locked and Olivia's heart lept to her throat, "I can do this."

And he kissed her. Softly, finally, kissed her. 

And pulled away. As his warmth disappeared, Olivia let out a small, involuntary huff of irritation that caused him to chuckle. While he watched her, smirking at her stunned expression, Olivia could do nothing but blink, her hands drifting upwards to touch her lips. Her brain seemed to have short-circuited. Rafael couldn't have just kissed her. 

"C'mon Liv," he said, pulling on her hand.

"Wha—?"

"Ice cream!" he exclaimed, "Remember? What flavor are you getting?"

"Rafael Barba," she gasped, "What?! You can't just—!"

"Mommm, Uncle Rafa!!"

Her head whipped over to find Noah bouncing up and down impatiently on the balls of his feet, "Hurry up!"

"Yeah Liv," Rafael teased softly as he slipped his hand into hers, "Hurry up would you?"

"Okay, okay!" she said, allowing Rafael to lead her after Noah who kept glancing back at them curiously, "But!" she warned, squeezing his hand, "We will be continuing this later."

"Of course," he wiggled his hand, lacing their fingers more securely together, "I always finish what I start, Ms. Benson."

"Good. Now," she said, stopping behind Noah who looked up at her expectantly, "How about that ice cream?"


	3. I've missed you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way to a meeting, Barba and Benson find themselves stranded on the highway when their tire blows out. Season 18 post-Tuckson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left kudos or comments, they mean a lot. Hope you like this one!

They'd been driving for about thirty minutes when Liv cleared her throat from the driver's seat, breaking the slightly chilly silence that had fallen about 20 minutes ago; they'd discovered pretty quickly that they could only talk about work for so long.

"It's been a while."

Barba looked up from his book, confused, "Since?"

"You know," she said. He did. Rafael looked back down at the page, unseeing. When he didn't respond, she elaborated. "Since we've spent time together."

"I suppose." Barba continued to stare downwards, sneaking a look at her from the corner of his eye. _What is she doing?_ She was staring straight ahead at the road but her face was stubborn. _Shit. She isn't going to let this go._

"You disagree?" she challenged.

"No, I just—We see each other at work." It was weak and he knew it.

She shot him a look. "You know what I mean Barba."

_Yeah, I do. I just don't want to talk about it!_

"What do you want me to say Liv?" he said, exasperated, "You're busy. I'm busy. _We're_ busy."

She wouldn't be deterred that easily. "That didn't stop us before."

"What are you—Why are you bringing this up _now_?" he demanded. He did not like where this was headed.

"Look," a hint of unease crossed her expression, "I just—I've missed our talks, that's all. I've missed _you_."

Well shit. That was not what he was expecting. His expression softened.

"I—"

"You don't have to say anything, I'm sorry," Liv couldn't look at him, "Go back to your book."

"Liv."

"I shouldn't have—"

"Liv!"

She glanced over at him cautiously, "Yes?"

"I've missed you too."

A small smile crossed her face. "Good."

The chill that had settled over the two of them thawed as did Rafael's resolve. "So tell me then. How have things been?"

"Oh, you know. Not bad," she said evasively before she paused and swallowed. She looked nervous. Like she was trying to decide whether or not to tell him something.

Barba eyed her curiously, "What is it?"

It came out in a rush. "I ended things with Tucker."

Barba blinked. "You—You did?" So that explained it. Despite knowing he shouldn't, he couldn't help the way his mouth twitched upwards. In order to hide his expression he spoke, "Do you… Do you want to talk about it?" He eyed her as he closed his book.

"If you—"

A loud pop cut her off as the car lurched suddenly towards the right causing Barba's book to go flying. He let out a yelp and braced himself as Olivia gripped the wheel, "Shit, hold on!"

Barba gasped as they swerved off the road into the breakdown lane but Olivia, true to form, stayed calm, bringing them carefully to a crawl before finally stopping.

"Damn it!" she groaned, hitting the steering wheel out of frustration, "We don't have time for this!"

Barba on the other hand said nothing. His body was still flooded with adrenaline.

"C'mon," she said, opening the car door, "We gotta change the tire." The only response she got was the sounds of cars whizzing by before she looked back to him and he cleared his throat awkwardly, his face a little white.

"Oh, yes, sorry."

"You okay?" she asked as she went to close the door, her face concerned.

He put his hand up to stop her. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just—I'm okay."

Olivia nodded slowly. "Alright," she resumed climbing out of the car, tossing over her shoulder, "Have you ever changed a tire?"

The question seemed to shake him out of it, and he unbuckled. "Nope. You?"

"Once. It's a long story."

"Longer than it'll take to change a tire?" he asked with a smirk as he climbed out of the car, raising his voice to be heard over the wind.

"Well no," she admitted as she made her way over toward the back of the sedan, "But that's a story for another time."

"Mhmm..." he said, slamming the door shut, "Are you pleading the fifth then, Lieutenant?"

She rolled her eyes, smirking, "Just come help me with this."

Barba rolled up his sleeves as he headed over to the trunk which she popped open before standing back. Olivia couldn't help but glance at Barba's forearms as he joined her, something he didn't miss as he yanked the carpeted cover off the floor of the trunk. They stared down to find an empty tire-shaped hole.

"Well that's helpful," Barba drawled.

Olivia let out a groan bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Well, I guess we better call ahead and let them know we won't be making it."

Barba nodded, "And while we're at it, does NYPD have AAA?" Barba half-joked.

Olivia laughed, "I honestly have no idea. C'mon it's cold. Let's deal with this in the car."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"In what world is that a long story, Liv? Embarrassing, sure," Rafael teased, grinning at her indignant _Hey!_ , "Embarrassing," he repeated louder as she scowled, "But not long!" His words devolved into an exaggerated groan as she punched him lightly in the shoulder, laughing like she hadn't in a long time.

It had taken about an hour and 8 phone calls between the two of them to get everything sorted and ten minutes for the two of them to finally, finally, fall back into their easy rhythm. Their time waiting for AAA it seemed, had quickly turned into time for catching up and, in general, making up for lost time.

Speaking of time. "How much longer until they get here?" Barba asked, checking his watch and groaning. They'd been waiting for two hours now.

"Barba, I swear to god ask me one more time," she said rolling her eyes and shooting him a look, "You're worse than Noah, you know."

"Wow Lieutenant," he said, unable to hide his smile, "Harsh."

She grinned, "Hey, if the shoe fits!"

He just shook his head at her, taking in her smile, the little crinkles at the corners of her eyes, her happiness as their conversation naturally lapsed. The quiet felt loud as they locked eyes. That small bit of silence, that in-between... It was his undoing.

"So before. You were saying you ended things with Tucker?"

She nodded slowly, "I was."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Olivia looked out the window, "Well, _you_ certainly seem like you want to."

"Don't deflect," he said, not unkindly.

She looked back at him with a half-smile, "You always knew how to call me out, didn't you?"

He smirked, "If the shoe fits."

She laughed before speaking, "Fine. I did want to talk about it." A pause. " _Do_ want to talk about it," she added.

"Okay," he said immediately, his face serious, "I'm listening."

"But not now," she said softly, impulsively grabbing his hand. "Right now I just want to be with you."

Rafael stared down at their hands, eyes wide as warmth spread through his chest. He spoke in a whisper, "Me too," he squeezed her hand and gave her a lopsided grin as she flushed, "Me too."


	4. Kissletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm gonna kill them," Olivia murmured, causing Barba to grin.   
> "Not if I kill them first."  
> “What are you waiting forrr?” Amanda slurred, “Kissletoe. Wait—” She started giggling, “Kissletoe, ha! Get it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some holiday cliché for you... Enjoy

The precinct was full of energy that evening. Everything had been strung up with the same cheap streamers, the same faded Christmas tree cut-outs, and the same white lights they used every year, and yet the room felt vibrant and warm. But hell, Rafael thought as he sipped his drink, that might just be the cider talking.

Barba had come in a little late to the party in his most festive get-up. Festive meaning he'd swapped out his regular tie for a red and green one. He'd said hello to some folks but for the most part, he'd been staying in his little corner of the room, just watching.

"How'd you get roped into coming here, counselor?"

Rafael jumped a little and smiled as he turned to see Olivia standing there in a truly horrendous Christmas sweater. He could tell _immediately_ that Noah had picked it out. The patterns clashed, the flashing lights were obnoxious, and the cartoon reindeer was garish. She looked... Well. She looked stunning.

He exaggeratedly flinched and shielded his eyes, pointedly ignoring the warmth in his chest. "Jesus Christ Liv, what the hell are you wearing?" he asked incredulously with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at his antics but he saw the way her lips twitched. "Oh shut up, Barba. You can't say shit when you didn't even dress up."

"I beg your pardon! What does this look like?" he demanded pulling his tie out from where it was tucked carefully into his suit.

"A weak excuse for Christmas attire?" she said with a grin.

He put his hands up dropping the tie, "Ah fine, guilty as charged," he said, unable to stop himself from getting the last word in, "But at least I don't glow."

Olivia laughed as she punched him lightly in the shoulder, "Asshole."

"See now _that's_ why I don't come to these things," he joked, clutching his shoulder as if in incredible pain as he shook his head. "You sure know how to make a guy feel welcomed."

"So why are you here then if we're sooo awful?" she asked smirking.

"I plead the fifth," he said evasively.

She raised her eyebrows, "Oh really?"

"Well," he amended, "Free alcohol always helps," he joked swirling the contents in his glass at her with a wink. "Where's Noah tonight?"

Her face broke into a smile at the sound of her little boy's name, "He's at home with Lucy."

"Lemme guess... He helped pick out your outfit for this evening?"

Before she could answer, a loud burst of laughter caught their attention. They could tell immediately that it had come from the small group of Amanda, Carisi, and Fin. Barba and Benson eyed each other warily as they caught Amanda and Fin looking back at them with shit-eating grins.

"What do you think that's all about?" Rafael asked dryly.

Olivia shook her head, "Hell if I know. But judging from Carisi's panicked face, I don't think we're gonna like it."

"Oh great, I guess we're about to find out," Barba said as Amanda headed their way, a determined look on her face.

"Wanna run for it?"

"I'd love to but I don't think we can." As she'd gotten closer, Barba could immediately tell from her flushed face that she was tipsy, if not a little drunk.

"Hi, Rollins," Olivia said, "What's up?"

"You two," she announced, ignoring Olivia's greeting, and wagging a finger between Barba and Benson, "Are under the mistletoe."

"WHAT?" Barba yelped, far louder than he meant to. Several people looked over confused as his face began to burn.

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, her eyebrows raised.

Amanda simply grinned and pointed above their heads as Carisi and Fin made their way over. Carisi at least had the decency to look abashed but Fin was grinning like Olivia had never seen. Damn. Who the hell had been put in charge of the cider?

"You know what that means..." Amanda continued as Barba scowled, his cheeks now as flushed as hers, although for a very different reason.

"What are you 10?" Barba demanded loudly.

"What are you scared, Barba?" The words burst out of her before she could stop them. Rafael gaped at Olivia. She looked absolutely mortified.

"What the hell are you—I—Scared? No!" Rafael stuttered. "No!"

"Then what's the issue counselor?" Fin asked with a gleam in his eye as Amanda snickered.

"If we do it maybe they'll go away," Olivia said quietly.

"Oh my god, I am never coming back here," Rafael whispered under his breath as he turned to face Olivia who was as red as he.

"I'm gonna kill them," Olivia murmured, shaking her head causing Barba to grin.

"Not if I kill them first," he replied.

"What are you waiting forrr?" Amanda slurred, "Kissletoe. Wait—" She started giggling, "Kissletoe, ha! Get it?"

Barba's eyebrows shot up as Carisi stepped forward, "O-Okay, let's get you some water."

"Noo, not yet."

"C'mon Rafael," Olivia placed her hand on his forearm, "Let's just—"

Her sentence cut off with a gasp as Rafael stepped forward with a determined expression, grabbed her by that stupid fucking sweater, and kissed her hard. Her eyes which had been wide with surprise fluttered shut as his tongue swept across her bottom lip and she opened for him tasting cider on his breath.

Amanda let out a delighted whoop and they tore apart flushing.

Barba swallowed heavily before turning to Amanda and Fin who were losing it, "Satisfied?" he asked them irritably.

They couldn't even respond; his word choice had them bending over, snorting, and gasping for air.

Carisi looked over at them apologetically and began to shuffle them away leaving Olivia and Rafael standing stiffly, sneaking awkward glances at each other.

"I'm so sorry," Rafael said the second they were out of earshot, "I sh—"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, that never should have—"

"Don't apologize, it's not your—"

"But they're my—"

Olivia put her hands up to stop their rambling over each other.

He blurted out one last apology, "Really Liv, I'm sor—"

"It's fine Barba, really. I like cider."

He raised his eyebrow at her, "Oh you do, do you?"

Her face flushed redder, "I—Shit, I'm just saying—"

"Wanna run for it?" He repeated her question from earlier with a smirk.

She eyed him carefully before responding. "Okay…"

"Let's get out of here, then," he said grinning.

She placed a hand on his arm. "Just one question first."

"Of course."

She smirked, "Was it the ugly sweater that did it for you? Or the cider?"

He laughed, "Oh, it was definitely the ugly sweater, Liv." He looked her up and down, "Mhmm… Definitely the ugly sweater."


	5. You. Are Pretty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barba comes out of sedation and needs someone to take him home after surgery. On the way, he reveals a secret to Liv.

Barba was once again staring at her with narrowed eyes as if she were a complex mathematical equation. She tried not to roll her eyes as he abruptly nodded. Olivia let out a sigh. He was going to say it again.

"You. Are pretty."

"You've already told me that, Rafa," Liv said exasperatedly, ignoring the flutter in her stomach. So he thought she was pretty. Whatever. He was drugged for god's sake, he probably thought everyone was pretty. _Although,_ she couldn't help thinking, _He didn't tell the nurse she was pretty._

"I did?" he asked, his eyes comically wide.

Olivia glanced towards the door. _Where the hell is that nurse?_ "Yes, you did."

He continued to look confused as worry crept onto his face at her tone of voice. "Oh no, am I wrong?" Before she could answer he continued, "Because I'm pretty sure you're pretty. You're beauuuutiful," he sang as he tapped his fingers on the hospital bed. She just blinked wearily at him before his mind wandered on to the next thing he'd been repeating, "My lips aren't real."

"You've said that too. They are real remember? We talked about it. At length."

"Oh yeah?" he said stubbornly, "Prove it." He burst out laughing.

She couldn't help but smirk at that, "Never change Rafa."

"But I don't want to wear this forever!" he cried out, suddenly upset as he fiddled with his hospital gown.

Olivia grimaced. "No, no, I meant… Oh forget it."

"But I remember everything," he said, his voice incredibly serious.

"Oh really?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Everythingggg…" he whispered dramatically, wiggling his fingers at her.

"I'll remember that," she said with a half-smile before groaning as his eyes narrowed once more.

"Barba…" she said resignedly, "If you tell me one more—"

"You're pretty."

Olivia let out a groan. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"I've got a secrettt..." Barba whispered conspiratorially to her, as she leaned over to buckle him into the passenger seat. If someone had told her that Rafael Barba could actually talk more than Noah after three scoops of ice cream, she never would've agreed to this. Okay fine. She would've. But still! He'd been talking her ear off ever since they'd filled out his discharge paperwork and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Oh really…" she said tiredly as she pulled away, satisfied he was buckled in okay. She looked over at him to find him staring at her with a surprisingly tender expression. Her cheeks began to warm as she busied herself with pulling up directions to Barba's apartment. "What is it?"

"What is what?" he asked, confused.

"Your—Never mind."

As she pulled out from her parking spot, he made an announcement. "I'm thirsty!"

"I've got water in the—"

He gasped suddenly. "I'm a lawyer!"

She could only nod as she pulled over to put her parking ticket into the slot of the machine.

"I'm a lawyer and you…" his voice trailed off as he tried to remember.

"I'm a cop," she filled in, driving forward as the gate arm lifted up.

"Yes. I'm thirsty, cop lady! I want water!"

"Did you just call me cop lady?" she asked incredulously as laughter bubbled in her throat.

He gasped, "Oh noo, I didn't mean to!" Before she could say anything to relieve him of worry he blurted out, "I just really want water."

The sincere remorse in his voice tugged at her heartstrings. "It's in the car door right next to you, okay Rafa?"

He noisily searched for it before letting out a cry of relief. As he struggled to open it, Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. She looked up at the red light and held out her hand, "Quick. Let me help you."

"Noo, I got it," he said, his face stubborn.

"Okay." To her surprise, struggling to open that water bottle proved to be just distracting enough that he stopped his prattling for a second. She soaked in the relative silence with relief and when he went to hold it out to her, she shook her head. "I'm driving Rafa, I'm sorry." He pouted but turned back to the water bottle with renewed vigor.

It took several tries but he finally opened it. And promptly spilled half of it all over his lap and—she gasped at the sudden cold—half of hers.

Sensing this was going to be a lot, she pulled over and parked just as he cried "Oh noo, I'm sorry!" and proceeded to take his hands and literally slap at her thighs in what had to be the most ridiculous attempt to dry someone ever.

She pushed his hands away, half shocked, half amused, as she scolded him, "Rafael! Stop that!"

As he snatched his hands back, his face crumpled and he brought them up to cover his eyes, "I'm so sorry Livia, I'm so sorry!"

She immediately shook her head, grabbing his wrists so he could look at her, "It's okay, it's fine! I promise, Rafael."

"But I-I, I touched you!"

"It's okay, you didn't—"

"And I liked it!"

Her face flushed bright red. She let go of his wrists.

"Oh."

Rafael didn't seem to notice her embarrassment as he wrinkled his nose. "We're all wet."

 _Yes. Yes, you are_ , a nasty voice whispered at her and Olivia flushed darker, remembering the feeling of his hands on her thighs.

She cleared her throat. "I've got some napkins in the door if you want to try and dry yourself."

"What about you?" he asked sincerely.

She swallowed heavily, "I'll just let it air dry, okay?"

He didn't say anything as he busied himself with pulling out napkins one by one out of the door, looking at each one with fascination. With that little episode over, Olivia ran her hands down her face and pulled back onto the road.

After a moment he turned to her. "Can I tell you my secret now?"

Olivia eyed him warily. "What is it about?" she asked cautiously.

"You."

Her eyebrows shot up and her stomach swooped. She swallowed heavily, at a loss for words.

He took her silence as an answer and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"My secret is..."

Half of her was screaming at her to shut him up, but Olivia couldn't speak.

"You're really pretty."

Barba laughed as Olivia groaned.


	6. Where to, counselor?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of mistletoe mishaps... To where exactly will they sneak off?  
> (in other words, part two of Chapter 4: Kissletoe)

_"Wanna run for it?" He repeated her question from earlier with a smirk._

_She eyed him carefully before responding. "Okay…"_

_"Let's get out of here, then," he said grinning._

_She placed a hand on his arm. "Just one question first."_

_"Of course."_

_She smirked, "Was it the ugly sweater that did it for you? Or the cider?"_

_He laughed, "Oh, it was definitely the ugly sweater, Liv." He looked her up and down, "Mhmm… Definitely the ugly sweater."_

* * *

Barba shrugged his coat on and leaned against the wall, watching as Olivia made her way around the bullpen saying her goodbyes, happy holidays, and all the things he simply didn't have the energy for. He didn't bother hiding his stare as she made her way towards him. _Damn, she looked good._

Judging by her smirk, she knew exactly what he was thinking. As she reached him, she clapped her hands together, "Alright! Where to, counselor?"

Shit. He'd forgotten about that. "Depends," he stalled as he wracked his mind for an answer that wasn't "my place" or "fuck, you're beautiful."

"Depends on…?" she prompted, quirking her eyebrow as he floundered for a response.

"On whether or not you can magically make it not 11:30 the Saturday before Christmas," he said with a grimace, "Everything's probably packed or closing, huh?"

"Just thinking of this now?" Liv asked with a smirk.

"Maybe…" he drawled, "But in my defense, I just kissed a beautiful woman while my inebriated coworkers egged me on," he grinned at her, "You could say I'm a little frazzled."

Olivia blushed, "Frazzled, huh?" she said, unable to hide her little smile. "Well, you better hurry up and get un-frazzled pretty quick. I can just _feel_ Amanda staring at us."

His eyes widened slightly before he shook his head, "Well then, how does the expression go? We don't have to go home but we can't stay here? Let's go. We'll come up with something on the way."

Resisting the urge to give her his arm, he turned towards the elevator and she followed.

As he pressed the down button, Olivia shook her head, "A shame…" she whispered softly.

He looked over to find her staring back at him with a fiendishly smug smirk, a glint in her eyes that promised… something. Exactly what, he wasn't sure but damn he wanted to find out.

"A shame?" he asked, his voice rough with desire.

"Mhmm…" she hummed as the elevator door slid open with a ding, "It's such a beautiful, clear night."

"That it is…" he said cautiously as they stepped into the elevator.

"I hear the lights of the city are quite a sight on a night like this," she said with a look he was sure he was supposed to understand.

He didn't. "Oh yeah, definitely," he said awkwardly, distinctly aware of his rising embarrassment. When she flicked her eyes towards the ceiling, he looked up, his confusion only growing. "Did you…? Did you have an idea of where to go then?"

Olivia couldn't help the way her lips twitched as she rolled her eyes at his obliviousness. "The roof, Barba," she said with a pained expression, "The roof."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, his face red. _I'm an idiot._ "Yeah…"

She let out a bark of laughter and pressed the button for the top floor as Rafael mentally slapped himself. "Wow, Barba, you _are_ frazzled, huh?"

His cheeks were hot as he scowled at her, choosing to say nothing for a lack of words.

"No comeback?" she said incredulously, "Did I really leave you speechless, counselor? And to think I thought that was impossible."

"Oh, I'm not speechless Lieutenant, far from it," he warned, "It'll take more than that to shut me up."

"Is that a challenge?" she asked playfully, wiggling her eyebrows.

He smirked, "Is it?"

"You tell me," she retorted.

"Careful now," he said, "Keep that up and I'll start to think I've been lured here under false pretenses."

"And what would those be?" she asked as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

"Are we not here to look at the beautiful lights of the city?" he asked, following her out into an empty hallway, ominously lit with a single light. And now her glowing sweater.

"Maybe…" she said with a wolfish grin, "Maybe not."

As Barba followed her down the hall he let out a laugh, "I'm going to die tonight, aren't I?"

She snorted as she paused at a door and pulled out her keys, "Well, that's entirely up to you isn't it?"

For a moment all they could hear was the jingle of metal as she jiggled the key a bit until—

"Aha!" She yanked the door open and Barba frowned at the sight of more stairs. When he didn't move she looked back at him questioningly. "Well?"

"Are you sure you know where you're going, Lieutenant?" he asked.

She scoffed at him before smirking and raising her hand to grip her chin as she tried to 'remember.' "Hmmm… I don't know. I just can't quite seem to remember." The glint was back in her eyes as she looked down at her chest, "But if you ask nicely, I think Rudolph knows the way."

She wiggled her eyebrows at him knowingly as his eyes flicked down to her glowing chest and stayed there. As he tore his eyes away, his face red, he cleared his throat. "Well, then. Please lead the way… Rudolph."

Olivia giggled at the way his nose wrinkled and Rafael was hit with a wave of affection that left him reeling. _God, he could get used to her giggling_. Olivia flushed with embarrassment.

"Come on," she said to cover it up, "It's just up these stairs."

They were quiet now as they crept up the stairs together, the red glow of her sweater illuminating the steps below them. If Olivia hadn't been so hyperaware of how close Rafael was to her, she would've commented on the irony of that but all other thoughts seemed to have melted away. Her hands shook a little as she pulled her keys out again and fumbled with the lock.

Her scent was overwhelming his senses as he stood on the step below her, swaying a little closer than he normally would. As she pulled the keys out of the lock, he heard her breath hitch when he accidentally bumped into her. His heart skipped a beat. After an eternity, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, stepping out onto the roof.

He followed her out into the cold wind, quickly sticking his hands into his pockets as she led him towards the edge before freezing in her spot. Rafael looked out at the city. She was right. The view from here… It truly was beautiful.

The sounds of the streets below them were muffled from up here and the lights of the traffic looked like a river of twinkling red and gold. The buildings outlined the black sky, some windows dark while others shone, the farthest of these reduced to pinpricks of light. There were no stars tonight but Barba didn't mind as his eyes were drawn to the woman next to him.

She was looking at him too.

When he finally moved, it was slowly, cautiously. The biting cold seemed to melt away as he did, but their frosty breaths betrayed both the reality of their surroundings and the way their breathing had become labored. He brought his hand first to cup her face and she gasped at the contact, his hands cold against her pink cheek. He winced apologetically and flinched back as if he'd scalded her only to relax a second later when she shook her head as he went to drop his hand. Emboldened by her response, he gently tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. She gasped once more as his fingernails gently scraped the back of her head moments later and her hand shot up to grip his coat as if she were afraid he'd pull away. But he didn't. Fisting her hair, he gently tipped her head up towards him waiting to see who'd make the first move.

In the end, it was she who closed the gap between them, who pressed her body firmly against his as a moan escaped the back of her throat and it was also she who was the first to murmur the other's name. It was he who later pushed them back until she was pressed against the door they come through and it was also he who was the first to let his hands wander. How long they stayed there pressed against that door, however? That was something neither of them knew by the time the crisp night air could once again turn their labored breaths to puffs of white mist.

Later on, they'd comment on how much they really did enjoy the view before—well, everything occurred, but neither would remember the differences between when they'd first emerged on the roof and when they slunk back down giggling and shushing each other like fools.

For had they been watching the lights of the city, they would've noticed as more and more windows darkened and the river of red and gold slowed to a stream.

But they hadn't, so they didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, I'm on Twitter now (@justabensonfan)! Feel free to follow if you'd like, it might be fun!


	7. Noah has a question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His mommy and Uncle Rafa spend so much time together... Noah wants to know what that means.

Olivia frowned as she peered into the fridge, debating whether or not she should go with peas or salad. _Noah likes peas but we had them yesterday… And the salad_ is _starting to go bad—_

"Mommy…"

 _Salad,_ she decided before grabbing it and turning to look at her son who was doing math homework at the kitchen table. She placed the salad down on her counter as she spoke, "Mhm? What's up, sweetheart?"

"I've got a question."

Olivia picked up her glass of wine and cocked her head to look at him. It wasn't like him to be… well, almost cautious about asking her something. He would usually just blurt out whatever he was thinking.

"You do?" she asked, "What's your question?"

He looked a little unsure of himself. She squashed her instinct to go to him, opting to appear as normal as possible despite her piqued curiosity; she didn't want to overwhelm him after all, especially with how he was chewing his bottom lip. Unluckily, she took a sip of wine as he finally gathered the nerve to speak.

"Are you and Uncle Rafa lovers?"

"W-What?!" Wine went everywhere.

"Mommy, you spitted!" Noah cried pointing at the mess she'd made, his eyes wide.

Olivia's response was automatic, "Spat. Not spitted," as she scrambled for paper towels. _What the fuck?_ How was she supposed to respond to that? _Calmly, for one._ "What did you say, sweet boy?" she asked, her voice a little strained as she dabbed at her shirt.

He looked nervous. "I said are you and Uncle Rafa lovers but I didn't mean to make you spat."

"Spit," she said, stalling.

Noah wrinkled his nose. "But you just said spat."

"I—Never mind. Where did you get the idea that your Uncle Rafa and I are lovers, Noah?" she asked, hating how warm her cheeks were getting just from saying that.

"Well," Noah began, sucking a breath in a way Olivia associated with long, rambling explanations, "My friend Lizzie said that _her_ mommy has a lover and that _he_ always comes to her apartment and talks to her mommy really late, like past bedtime, and that her mommy and her lover talk all the time even when he's not there like on the phones and at work and _you_ and _Uncle Rafa_ always talk and talk and he comes over all the time _just like_ Lizzie's mommy's lover but Lizzie said that would be disgusting because Uncle Rafa is my uncle. But he's not my _real_ uncle so it's not disgusting right?"

Olivia just blinked at him. Surely Rafael didn't come over _that_ often.

Both the Benson's jumped as someone knocked on the door. Olivia's eyes closed briefly as hysterical, bitter laughter bubbled in her throat. _Of course. I swear to god…_

"Is that Uncle Rafa?" Noah asked.

What she wanted to say was "If it is, I'm going to scream," but she restrained herself. "I'm not sure, let's find out." She inexplicably found herself fighting the urge to brush wrinkles out of her shirt and pat her hair as she made her way to the door. She peaked through the peephole.

_Time to scream._

"Hey, Liv!" Rafael said as she opened the door. He quickly took in her flushed face and wine splattered t-shirt, "Bad time?"

"Uncle Rafa!" Noah came hurtling out of nowhere; Rafael barely had time to crouch before Noah's arms were wrapped around him.

"Hola mijo," he said affectionately before looking up at Olivia, "Well?"

"Come on in," she said, before placing her hand on Noah's arm, "Let the man breathe Noah."

"Sorry for coming by unannounced, Liv," Rafael began, standing up awkwardly to step into the apartment.

"Don't worry about it."

Noah tugged on her arm, "Mommy can I ask Uncle Rafa—?"

"No!" she yelped before cringing.

Rafael blinked, taken aback by her vehemence.

Her face flushed a deeper red, "We'll talk about that later, okay, sweetheart?"

Noah pouted, "Okay…" His face brightened, "Uncle Rafa, wanna play Lego?"

"Did you finish your homework?" Rafael asked sternly.

"Not yet…"

"Get that done and I'll play some Lego," he said before turning to Olivia, "If that's okay with you."

She shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes, "Okay with me."

Rafael's eyes narrowed at her. After making sure Noah was out of earshot, he grabbed her hand, "What's the matter?" he asked quietly.

Her stomach jumped and she snatched her hand back, "Nothing! What'd you stop by for?"

He wouldn't be deterred that easily, "Liv…" he sighed, "Please. Something's bothering you."

The concern in his gaze was her undoing; she buried her face in her hands. Rafael's worry flared at the sight. He barely caught her mumbled response.

"I can't believe this is happening…"

His eyes widened, "What's happening, Liv? You're scaring me!"

She looked up at him shaking her head. _Might as well get it out of the way. Hell, he'll probably find it funny._ It came out quickly, "Noah got it in his head that because you're here all the time, we're, um," her nose scrunched up, "'Lovers.'"

Rafael's mouth dropped open.

She smirked a little at his expression, "That's what I did, only with wine in my mouth."

"What did you say?" he blurted out.

She eyed him strangely as he flushed. "Nothing yet… You conveniently happened to knock on the door. Why?" she asked, feeling a little bold, "What should I say?"

 _Shit._ Rafael's mind went blank, "I mean, I'm not—Obviously, we're—I don't know!" Barba floundered for words, "No?"

Olivia's eyebrows shot up, "No?" she asked just to tease him a little. Rafael Barba, fishing for words… Not something you see every day.

His eyes narrowed as he pulled himself together and stared her down, smirking a little as her eyes dilated and her breath caught. "What do you want to tell him, Olivia?"

Olivia swallowed heavily and it was _her_ mind that was blank now. "I… I'm not sure."

The tension between them was palpable now. They both felt as if they were standing on a precipice, waiting for someone to finally push them over, to push them together.

"Are you and mommy gonna kiss?"

Olivia and Rafael jumped, tearing their eyes from each other to Noah who stood there looking at them curiously.

While Olivia struggled to find words, Rafael threw caution to the wind. "If she wants to."

Olivia turned to him, shocked, "Rafa?"

He shrugged as if it were nothing, but the way his Adam's apple bobbed and the nervousness in his eyes said otherwise.

Her lips twitched and warmth bloomed in her chest, "I suppose I wouldn't mind."

Rafael rolled his eyes and pulled her close.

It was as their lips touched that Noah made up his mind. Even though he stuck out his tongue and said ew—he had to! They were _kissing_!—his friend Lizzie was definitely wrong. After all, how could seeing his mommy and favorite Uncle so happy be disgusting?

Mommy still hadn't answered his question though.

"Does this mean you and Uncle Rafa _are_ lovers?" he asked when they pulled apart.

They looked at each other before his mommy _finally_ answered him.

"Yes... I suppose it does."


	8. Escape Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape room date shenanigans

“Huh…”

Rafael watched with rising annoyance as Olivia squinted down at the paper in her hands. Her eyebrows twitched closer together.

_Wait for it…_

“Huh.”

He cocked his head, “Olivia…?”

“Shh!” she hissed, not looking up, “I’ve got this.”

“Are you sure?”

Olivia shot him a look, “Who’s the former-detective-now-Lieutenant here?”

He sighed, “You.”

“So yes,” she said smugly, “I’m sure.”

Silence fell over them once more and Rafael resigned himself to watching her struggle. Her forehead was doing it again.

_3… 2… 1…_

“Huh.”

_Okay, that’s enough._ “Dios mío, Liv, dámelo. Come on. Give it to me.”

Olivia snatched the paper out of his reach, “Rafa, no, I’ve got this!”

“Liv, we don’t have much time left and we still have three more keys to find, please let me look at it.”

Olivia pouted but handed it over. “This wasn’t even your idea.”

Rafael tactfully chose to remain silent as he stared down at the paper for the first time. It was blank except for a carefully cut out article from an old newspaper.

“Huh.”

“That’s what I said!”

He read the snippet.

_“Police baffled as the search for Nancy Wilson, age 48, continues. Nancy Wilson was last seen 3 days before her disappearance from 53 Maple Ave purchasing one-way tickets to Hawaii.”_

Rafael looked up from the paper to find Olivia staring at him with a smirk.

“I love watching you think,” she flirted.

“You. Are not helpful,” Rafael admonished, unable to hide his satisfied grin before he pointed at the luggage on the floor next to her. “The lock. How many digits?”

Olivia frowned and bent down to check. “Six.”

He smiled, “Put in 483531.”

“483…531… It opened!” She looked up at him, shocked.

“Huh,” Rafael teased, “Now who exactly was the former-detective-now-Lieutenant, Benson?”

Olivia scowled, “How do you keep doing this?”

“You did pick the easiest level, Liv.”

“I know, but still! You found the last two keys.”

“Jealous?” he teased.

She scoffed. “You wish. Now get over here.”

“Gladly,” he drawled.

Olivia cracked open the suitcase to find—

“A black light!”

Rafael stood back and watched as Olivia jumped up and raced to turn off the lights, her face alight with excitement. When she grinned back at him, he felt a powerful rush of affection.

And then she flipped the switch.

Olivia shrieked as a panel in the wall dropped to the floor with a deafening bang while Rafael yelped and instinctively lurched forward to gather her up in his arms. As she clutched his arm, they gaped at the wall that now revealed a (fake) skeleton in the wall.

“Oh my god.” Olivia’s voice was shaky.

“Are you okay?” Rafael asked, pulling back a little to look at her.

“You get to pick the next three dates,” she said shaking her head, “This was an awful idea.”

He just looked at her before pulling her in closer, “Awful?” he asked softly, “I wouldn’t say so.” She smirked a little and pressed herself more firmly against him, “I’m quite enjoying the evening so far.”

“I’ll say,” she hummed, pleased with herself.

“That obvious?” Rafael breathed, eyes flicking to her lips.

“Either you’ve got a clue in your pocket,” Olivia began, “Or you’re happy to—”

He captured her lips with a kiss and they spoke no more.

They never did find the other three keys.


End file.
